Roger Vertefeuille was the first coach of the varsity wrestling team at Bulkeley High School in Hartford, Connecticut.

Roger did not wrestle as a youth, but learned about the sport from Dr. Edward Meyers at Penney High in East Hartford.

For nearly a quarter century, Roger coached three sports at Bulkeley – wrestling (1968–94), cross country (1971–93) and boys’ track and field (1971–94). His track and field team won the Class L state championship in 1976.

A physical education teacher at Bulkeley, Roger was an excellent wrestling coach. In his 26 years as the wrestling coach, he coached five All-American wrestlers, nine State Open champions, and 13 Class L state champions.

His Bulldogs finished second in Class L for three consecutive seasons – 1977, 1978 and 1979. Bulkeley was also third at the State Open in 1972, when the Open was the only statewide tournament. according to Hartford Courant. His Bulldogs won 252 matches in Roger’s career, captured 10 Capital District Conference (CDC) championships and won 19 city titles competing with rivals Hartford Public and Weaver.

Roger was inducted into the Bulkeley Hall of Fame in 2016 and was recognized as the Wrestling Coach of the Year in 1980 by the Connecticut High School Coaches Association.

Roger grew up in Hartford, Connecticut, and attended Bulkeley where he was an exceptional athlete. He played on Bulkeley’s undefeated 1950 football team and played baseball for the great Babe Allen.

He served in the United States Air Force and fought in the Korean War. After serving in the military, he attended UConn and graduated with a degree in physical education.

Posted by the Connecticut Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, July 2022